Realm of Discord
Background The Realm of Discord is a plane of existence that is under the direct control and purview of the devil known as Omnimaw. He was was placed there by the goddess Livrosea in an act of mercy after saving his liege from a near fatal blow by Austeryx the god of madness. It is a near-totally dark, enormously dangerous place made of otherworldly black rock similar to completely opaque obsidian; where sound and vibration itself is the way to perceive the realm. On the material plane, the most common way into the realm is by use of a Screaming Gate. Several of these portals exist on the material plane but are difficult to open and require a musical key. While it's infernal, cacophonic inhabitants are naturally extremely dangerous, the biggest danger of all within the Realm of Discord is the affliction known as "Resonance" which can be inflicted by all the devils who live within. The results of this condition can rage from an explosion of sound powerful enough to rend flesh and bone, deafness, hypersensitivity to sound, or other effects that all involve the absence or presence of sound. This condition does fade once one either escapes or slays the creatures that afflict it, but with how easily it can be afflicted, it is always a danger. A Slumbering, Starving Realm The realm reflects the physical and mental state of its master and varies greatly depending on whether he is awake or asleep. When the Unexpectables and Euphoria Grimtongue made their way into the Realm of Discord their original goal was to simply feed Omnimaw stolen voices as the Grimtongues had been doing for decades. They discovered that the realm wasn't simply sleeping with it's master, but starving. As Omnimaw himself was in a topor and being drained of life, his realm reflected his own hunger and its inhabitants were increasingly desperate in their hunts, and even cannibalizing each other in an attempt to sustain themselves. The group was able to locate Ith who sat atop an obsidian pillar and had been playing a simple song for decades to provide some small sustenance to the starving realm. Physical Features It was implied that the state of Discord is vastly different when Omnimaw is awake. The Unexpectables have only experienced it when he was asleep, so these features may vary when the realm's lord is active. The Realm of Discord is slightly warmer than room temperature, and the air feels thick and heavy. The sky is featureless and dark grey, though the realm is filled with a sourceless dim light. The landscape is typically a featureless plain of perfectly smooth flat black stone that stretches to a horizon that feels a bit too close. The landscape itself reacts to sound. Any noise creates a white wave of light on the ground that radiates out like ripples on the surface of a pond. The louder and more powerful the sound, the more pronounced the waves, and the further they travel. A whisper or careful footsteps won't travel far, but a shout will. The native inhabitants use these waves to track potential intruders and prey. The waves caused by the breath of Omnimaw pulse across the landscape as he slumbers, creating a low roar like distance ocean surf, though periodic as he inhales and exhales. Various areas in the realm have massive piles of broken musical instruments. They seem to collect like drifts of snow in low places or dust in unswept corners. They are of all types, all cultures, all designs, and each and every one is broken beyond repair. It is unknown where they come from, or why they seem to collect in certain locations. The flat, obsidian-like stone of the plane is sometimes broken by singular obsidian pillars formed from the same material as the rest of the plane. Ith sat atop one as he played his song. Forest of Catgut Strings of catgut reach from the ground to vanish in the sky at all angles, creating a near-impenetrable forest. The strings are so dense that it is difficult to see more than a short distance ahead in many places. While they are easily cut or broken, touching the strings creates sound and alerts all nearby creatures to the presence of the intruder. The challenge of passing through the forest is to do so quietly. Lake of Rosin As travellers approach this region, they come across increasing numbers of depressions in the featureless black landscape that are filled with red-amber molten rosin, the type that in its solid state is used on the bows of stringed instruments. The pools grow larger around the center of the region which is a large lake of the sticky stuff. The rosin is extremely tacky and creatures caught in will slowly sink into it and be smothered much like terrestrial tar pits. Plains of Membrane The black stone plains are dotted with flesh-like membrane stretched over holes that lead to unknown depths, much like the skin stretched over a drumhead. These membrane surfaces grow larger and larger the closer one gets to the center of this region. The membrane itself varies in thickness, from being thick and hide-like to paper-thin fragility that is easy to tear and unable to bear weight. It is unknown what would happen to a creature who fell through the membrane. Tunnels of Emollient Perfectly round tunnels dot the landscape like they had been cored out of the black rock. The inner surfaces of these tubes are slippery in the extreme, and the angled surfaces are almost impossible to move on without sliding. These tunnels don't always obey the laws of physics as understood in the material world and a person sliding into one may find that despite travelling "downhill" they emerge from another hole at the same level they entered. There are twists, turns, loops, and splits in the tunnels and occasional chamber filled with broken musical instruments of all types. Omnimaw's Throneroom The corrupted celestial's massive form rests on a mountain of broken instruments on a stage located in a large chamber. It is unknown if he ever moves from his seat, as he was only observed while in his topor. When he awoke he did create an avalanche of the musical debris. Named Inhabitants The "taint" of the celestial in Discord means that it's inhabitants don't quite follow all the same rules that scholars expect to be typical of demons or devils. When one is slain in Discord, instead of being destroyed forever, it will reappear somewhere else on the plane. The creatures normally don't act alone, though in the realm's starving state they frequently broke with their usual behaviors out of desperation. According to Euphoria Grimtongue when the "band gets together" they are very dangerous because like an orchestra, each type fills a role and compliments the others. Percussion Devils Creatures that appear to be made from a collection of cymbals and metal chimes. They drag long tails of cymbals and bells behind them and create a tremendous racket as they move. They walk on two limbs with human like hands and are about the size of lions. They have a deadly aura of resonance around them and can issue a supernatural challenge to force opponents to attack them. Brass Devils Large, bull-sized, quadrupedal creatures who appear to be made from brass instruments. They are very hearty, and can release a devastating blast of thunderous sound against their opponents. One found by the Unexpectables was unique, as it was not immediately hostile like the others. Scarlet's talent manifested as one. Hurdy Devils Small, quick moving creatures that appear to be a metal Hurdy-Gurdy with humanoid legs that often hunt in packs. When they attack a creature, they begin to burrow into its flesh, though (to Monty's dismay) the Unexpectables always managed to slay the creatures before the horrific results could take effect. String Devils Enormous beasts with steely harps for heads. They are quite intelligent and cunning. They have terrible and dextrous plectrum tails that have a long reach. They also possess abilities to manipulate the minds of their opponents. Panic's talent manifested as one. Woodwind Devils Relatively fragile compared to the other devils, they use sound to cloud the minds of their victims, manipulating them to see enemies everywhere. They typically work in groups, but when the Realm of Discord was not healthy the Unexpectables encountered one hunting out of desperation. Trivia * Mortal beings who find themselves within the Realm of Discord do not feel the need to sleep, but as a result cannot rest soundly enough to regenerate magical power. This manifests in-game as characters being unable to have Long Rests within the Realm. * Though visitors do not sleep or grow tired, time passes normally in the realm at the same rate as the real world. * While it is unknown how far-reaching this phenomenon is, but devils in the Realm of Discord can be the manifestations of the musical talent of mortals. * All checks against the "Resonance" condition automatically fail in the Realm of Discord. Category:Places